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One conspiracy theory has it that the bug was genetically engineered at the University of Florida, right here in Gainesville, as a mosquito countermeasure, but in fact it's been around for some time -- originating in Central America and observed in Louisiana more than a century ago before eventually making its way to Florida.
Anyway, twice a year the love bug emerges from larval form, takes flight, mates (continuously, for days, while flying), and dies. I don't know how many millions or billions there in an overall swarm, but in each individual "flight" there can be hundreds of thousands.
The semi-annual swarms annoy automobile drivers. A moving car's windshield can get completely covered, with dead love bugs and become largely opaque in minutes. They can gum up the cooling fins on radiators, vents and intakes, and their pH levels can be acidic enough to damage paint if not quickly washed off.
They can do all those things to motorcycles, motorcycle helmet visors, etc., too. Last year, I was out and about when I ran into the first signs of the swarm. By the time I got home, I had to completely wipe down and clean my helmet and wash my bike, too.
I know car drivers who avoid driving unless absolutely necessary during the swarms, and that's also my policy for riding a motorcycle.
The current swarm has been ongoing for several days, so I'm hoping today is the last of it (I seem to be seeing fewer bugs in the area, after sweeping thousands of bug corpses off my porch yesterday because I thought it was over then).
